The University of Kentucky Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center (UK CNTC)

描述（由申请人提供）：肯塔基州大学癌症纳米技术培训中心（英国CNTC）将为博士前学生和博士后研究员提供先进的多学科培训，目标是创造一种新型的癌症研究人员，他们熟练并准备从事癌症纳米技术研究。肯塔基州大学的国家和国际公认的教师将合作为纳米技术和癌症的新探索创造一个肥沃的环境。专业知识涵盖广泛的多学科科学领域，包括胃肠道癌症，肺癌，神经胶质瘤，放射医学，外科手术，癌症筛查，成像以及药代动力学和动力学。在这些教师中，有16名纳米技术研究人员在化学工程，材料工程，电气工程，化学和制药科学系和18名生物医学科学家或临床肿瘤学家在药学院或医学院。基于现有的研究合作，我们提出了由多学科重点领域团队组成的癌症纳米技术项目，目标是在以下四个领域培养未来癌症纳米技术领域的领先研究人员：（1）肺癌，结肠癌和卵巢癌的早期检测和诊断;（2）胃肠道肿瘤和转移的治疗;（3）肺癌治疗;和（4）胶质瘤治疗。具体目标1是通过长达两年的跨学科实验室研究培训项目，扩大英国CNTC参与者的核心专业知识，这些项目涉及纳米技术的创新应用，以解决癌症检测和治疗中未满足的特定需求。我们的学员将处于研究的最前沿，这些研究将被推动开发基于纳米技术的新型癌症疗法和诊断策略。通过这些活动，学员将详细了解癌症的分子基础，治疗和诊断疾病的未解决的临床问题，并获得纳米技术领域的专业知识。在具体目标2中，CNTC将通过研讨会，讲习班，短期课程，见习和实验室培训模块为学员提供基于问题的经验培训，以建立他们作为多学科研究团队成员的研究技能和信心。每个受训者将通过核心课程、短期课程、参加研讨会、本科生和早期研究生辅导以及旨在教育公众的外联活动，沉浸在基于问题的个性化教学和广泛的多学科培训中。学员将通过有效的指导和评估计划（具体目标3），将评估学员进步和发展的有效性，通过这些计划进行指导。最后，具体目标4是在区域和国家两级突出国家培训中心受训人员的成就。因此，我们的学员将学习设想，表达和执行以纳米技术为中心的研究，重点是开发与癌症相关的突出临床问题的新解决方案。 公共卫生相关性：肯塔基州癌症纳米技术中心的大学将提供一个系统的和独特的多学科培训环境，专注于实验室动手研究，创造一个能够使用纳米技术解决棘手的癌症研究问题的劳动力。该中心的学员将沉浸在一个研究环境中，旨在利用肯塔基州大学教师的多种研究优势，并将出现广泛而详细的癌症诊断，干预和相关的纳米技术应用，包括药物输送，早期检测和治疗的知识。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Kentucky Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center (UK CNTC) will provide advanced multidisciplinary training for predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows toward the goal of creating a new type of cancer researcher who is skilled and ready to pursue a career in cancer nanotechnology research. Nationally and internationally recognized faculty members at the University of Kentucky will collaborate to create a fertile environment for the novel exploration of nanotechnology and cancer. Expertise covers a broad multidisciplinary range of scientific areas in gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, gliomas, radiation medicine, surgery, cancer screening, imaging, and pharmacokinetics and dynamics. Among these faculty are 16 nanotechnology researchers in the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences and 18 biomedical scientists or clinical oncologists in the Colleges of Pharmacy or Medicine. Based on existing research collaborations, we propose cancer nanotechnology projects composed of multidisciplinary focus area teams with the goal of training future leading researchers in the field of cancer nanotechnology in the following four areas: (1) early detection and diagnosis in lung, colon, and ovarian cancer; (2) treatment of gastrointestinal tumors and metastases; (3) lung cancer treatment; and (4) glioma therapy. Specific Aim 1 is to expand the core expertise of participants in the UK CNTC through cross-disciplinary laboratory research training projects of up to two years involving innovative applications of nanotechnology to address specific unmet needs in cancer detection and therapy. Our trainees will be at the forefront of research that will be driven toward developing novel cancer therapies and diagnostic strategies based on nanotechnology. Through these activities, the trainees will obtain a detailed understanding of the molecular basis of cancer, the unresolved clinical problems in treating and diagnosing the disease, and acquire expertise in the field of nanotechnology. In Specific Aim 2, the CNTC will provide trainees with problem-based and experiential training through seminars, workshops, short courses, clerkships, and laboratory training modules that will build their research skills and confidence as members of multi-disciplinary research teams. Each trainee will be immersed in individualized problem-based instruction and a broad multidisciplinary training through core courses, short courses, participation in seminars, undergraduate and early graduate student mentoring, and outreach activities designed to educate the public. Trainees will be guided through these programs with effective mentorship and an evaluation program (Specific Aim 3) that will assess the effectiveness of trainee progress and development. Finally, Specific Aim 4 is to highlight the accomplishments of CNTC trainees both regionally and nationally. As such, our trainees will learn to envision, articulate, and perform nanotechnology-centered research focused on developing novel solutions to the outstanding clinical problems associated with cancer. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The University of Kentucky Cancer Nanotechnology Center will provide a systematic and unique multidisciplinary training environment, focusing on laboratory hands-on research, to create a workforce capable of using nanotechnology for solving intractable cancer research problems. Trainees of the Center will be immersed in a research environment designed to take advantage of the multiple research strengths of faculty at the University of Kentucky and will emerge with a broad yet detailed knowledge of cancer diagnostics, interventions, and related nanotechnology applications including drug delivery, early detection and treatment.